There are, at present, a number of sentinel webcams stationed on the pitches of Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, whose job it is to transmit their observations though cyberspace and onto your computer screen.  Open the curtains of one of these virtual windows right now, and you’ll be introduced to a scene that has been drained of colour to the point of bleakness.  Trees droop dejectedly, the air is thick with grey, and the ground appears barren and infertile.

Anywhere else this outlook would be considered inauspicious, met by locals with dread, grunts and moans, but in BC it is cause for jubilation, a signal that the seasons are in motion and it’s time to light the fire and don the thermals.  In other words, it means the ski season is just around the corner.

Rewind the clock 50 years and the same vista would be comparatively unrecognisable, not least because you’d be staring at a blank space where the computer hadn’t yet been invented.  For the first half of the twentieth century, the slopes of London Mountain (later re-named to Whistler Mountain) formed an untamed wilderness used primarily by fishermen and foresters.

It was only in the early 1960s, with the inviting idea of the 1968 Olympics planted in their entrepreneurial minds, that a group of businessmen from nearby Vancouver began to develop the area into a ski resort.  Although this Olympic dream wasn’t realised until last year (a long wait, by all accounts), Whistler resort went ahead and opened in 1966, establishing itself as an instantaneous success and laying down a gauntlet for all other alpine villages to work towards.

Eventually, that gauntlet was taken up when a resort was established on neighbouring Blackcomb Mountain, with the first lifts shuddering into action on December 6, 1980.  It was the start of a healthy rivalry that saw the two resorts drive one another to ever greater heights (literally), until, in 1997, they joined forces to become Whistler Blackcomb, a name that would dominate the world of skiing for years to come.

On December 12, 2008, this supremacy was underlined when the resort unveiled the latest addition to its network of ski lifts, christening it in capital letters for the benefit of short sighted skiers.  PEAK 2 PEAK connects the resort’s two eponymous vertexes via a cable 4.4 kilometres (2.73 miles) in length, of which 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles) hangs without support.  In doing so, it set the world record for the longest unsupported span of its kind, and caused perplexed snow-enthusiasts the world over to ask How on earth did they do that?

Out of the necessity to accommodate the extraordinary demand for the vertical scale, first-rate lifts and pristine off-piste in which the resort has always specialised, Whistler Village grew.  Cradled snuggly in the lap at the confluence of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, it is a ski resort that enjoys the rare distinction of being worth a visit without any intention of skiing.

An ambiance of intimacy pervades the village’s streets, exuding a cosiness that somehow belies its world-class status.  Chalets of wood and stone wear brilliant, white, fluffy coats, and sparkle with delicate lights that shroud every lane in a festive glow.  Yet behind this quaint veneer Whistler moves with a pace and vigour that qualifies it as one of the world’s finest après-ski hotspots, with a complement of restaurants, shops, bars and spas that prove irresistible to all who visit.

A little further down the road, Whistler Creekside offers the full BC winter experience at a significantly diminished cost.  Had you been there a year ago, you’d have found yourself amidst thousands of snow enthusiasts at the centre of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, for which all Alpine Skiing events were held at Creekside.  Today, you’ll find a mellower atmosphere that’s ideal for families, along with a smattering of devastatingly beautiful water features (including Alpha and Nita Lake) from which the village gets its name.

For more information on skiing in British Columbia, along with a comprehensive guide to everything the province has to offer, please visit MyDestination.com/BritishColumbia.

Alex Plim, My Destination
October 2011

Follow me on Twitter: @AlexPlim